Author Of The Week: Chat with Adriana Mather (How To Hang A Witch)

Each week we will be interviewing a different YA author and highlighting their upcoming release!

We will also be hosting a giveaway of the book we are highlighting!!

Introducing Adriana Mather, YABC's Author of the Week!!

Adriana Mather is the 14th generation of Mathers in America, with family roots stretching back to the first Thanksgiving, the Salem Witch Trials, the Revolutionary War, and the Titanic. Adriana co-owns Zombot Pictures, a production company that makes feature films. In addition to producing, Adriana is also an actress. She lives in Los Angeles where she has a life full of awesome, cats, and coffee.

For fans of Conversion and Mean Girls, comes a debut novel where the trials of high school start to feel like a modern day witch hunt for a teen with all the wrong connections to Salem’s past.

Salem, Massachusetts is the site of the infamous witch trials and the new home of Samantha Mather. Recently transplanted from New York City, Sam and her stepmother are not exactly welcomed with open arms. Sam is the descendant of Cotton Mather, one of the men responsible for those trials and almost immediately, she becomes the enemy of a group of girls who call themselves The Descendants. And guess who their ancestors were?If dealing with that weren't enough, Sam also comes face to face with a real live (well technically dead) ghost. A handsome, angry ghost who wants Sam to stop touching his stuff. But soon Sam discovers she is at the center of a centuries old curse affecting anyone with ties to the trials. Sam must come to terms with the ghost and find a way to work with the Descendants to stop a deadly cycle that has been going on since the first accused witch was hanged. If any town should have learned its lesson, it's Salem. But history may be about to repeat itself.

I’ve always been super curious about my ancestor, Cotton Mather, who instigated the Salem Witch Trials. And modern Salem, MA is just too amazing not to set a story there…preferably in autumn. Throw in a handsome ghost and some spiced apple cider and I was typing with reckless abandon.

YABC: Who is your favorite character in the book?

Elijah. I like good-hearted, challenging people who aren’t afraid to tell you what they think and make fun of you. Wait, that’s my entire family.

YABC: What scene in the book are you most proud of, and why?

The atmosphere. That’s technically a scene, right? Salem is one of the most atmospheric places I’ve ever visited in my life. I really wanted to capture the mysterious curses, the old houses with secret passageways, and the feeling that magic just might be real there.

YABC: Thinking way back to the beginning, what’s the most important thing you've learned as a writer from then to now?

That other writers/literary people are the kindest and most generous kids on the block. They’re smart, want to talk about books endlessly, and are the first people to help you when you’re struggling. I’m truly proud and honored to be part of this community.

YABC: What do you like most about the cover of the book?

The rain on the window effect. It completely captures the feeling of my book even though there is technically no rain in the narrative. Which is just so cool. Also, the blue. Such great blues. I would wear my book if I could.

YABC: What new release book are you looking most forward to in 2016?

2016 books I love – The First Time She Drowned by Kerry Kletter, The Serpent King by Jeff Zentner, Shallow Graves by Kali Wallace, and Of Fire and Stars by Audrey Coulthurst. The first two are Contemporary and the second two are Fantasy. They are a great mixture of drama, heart, adventure, and princess romance. But the thing that binds them all together is that all these authors have amazing senses of humor and awesome prose.

YABC: Which character gave you the most trouble when writing your latest book?

All of them; squirrely little rascals. I work and work to get my characters into given situations and then when they finally arrive they give my plot organization the finger.

YABC: Which part of the writing process do you enjoy more: Drafting or Revising?

Drafting – a happy delusional state where I throw in a hundred sub plots, a thousand motivations, and a million plot twists, believing that I am surely a genius and that it will all make sense in the end. Cue evil cackle. Then reality sets in and I wonder if someone spiked my punch.

I Loved your interview. It had me laughing like a crazy person, especially "Then reality sets in and I wonder if someone spiked my punch." I nearly died!

I can't wait to read this book, I have a slight obsession with the Salem witch trials. When I finally got to go to Salem I was too happy for my own good.

Great post !

0

I Loved your interview. It had me laughing like a crazy person, especially "[i]Then reality sets in and I wonder if someone spiked my punch.[/i]" I nearly died!
I can't wait to read this book, I have a slight obsession with the Salem witch trials. When I finally got to go to Salem I was too happy for my own good.
Great post !

The fact that you're related to Cotton Mather has me like !!! I love the Salem Witch Trials and had so much fun when I visited there. My question is, did you find out more about your ancestry and have you ever visited Salem? Side note, I wish I knew that far back in my family ancestry.

0

The fact that you're related to Cotton Mather has me like :o !!! I love the Salem Witch Trials and had so much fun when I visited there. My question is, did you find out more about your ancestry and have you ever visited Salem? Side note, I wish I knew that far back in my family ancestry. :)

There are SO MANY amazing books hitting the shelves this Winter.... Which ones are we buzzing about? Check out our list and be sure to enter the awesome giveaway for a chance to win some of these buz...

Looking for these?

What is YABooksCentral.com? YABC is your first stop for all things book-related! Founded in 1998 by (now author) Kimberly Pauley as a basic stopover for people looking for information on young adult books, YABC has since evolved into one of the largest professional book recommendation sites targeted towards tween and teen readers. You can read book reviews by our staff or write your own! Join discussions about your favorite books and enter to win more in our monthly giveaways. Keep up with all the latest book-related goodies on our blog and interact with authors in our Twitter chats. If you ever have any questions, just email us at any time at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it..